Meticulous
Planning By Las Vegas GunmanBefore he mowed down concertgoers from a perch high in a hotel tower,
Stephen C. Paddock created a ring of surveillance around him, with video
cameras in his suite and in the hallway, law enforcement officials said
on Tuesday. But investigators were still at a loss to offer a motive for
the massacre. The cameras  apparently intended to warn of approaching
threats  along with the 23 guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and
other equipment found in the gunmans hotel suite, suggested a thought-out
plan to have plenty of time to wreak carnage while holding the police at
bay. Local and federal investigators were also eager to interview the gunmans
girlfriend, Marilou Danley, who had been in the Philippines. NY
TimesVOA VIEW: There is still a lot to learn.

Amazon
Is Ordered To Pay Nearly $300 MillionAccording to regulators, Amazon received tax advantages between 2006
and 2014 in the country without any "valid justification." "Luxembourg
gave illegal tax benefits to Amazon. As a result, almost three quarters
of Amazon's profits were not taxed," Margrethe Vestager, the EU's commissioner
for competition, said in a statement. "In other words, Amazon was allowed
to pay four times less tax than other local companies subject to the same
national tax rules. This is illegal under EU state aid rules. Member states
cannot give selective tax benefits to multinational groups that are not
available to others,investigated" she added. CNBC

Mass
Killer Likely Had 'Some Help At Some Point'The Las Vegas gunman likely had some help at some point in pulling
off Sunday's massacre, the head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
asserted Wednesday. It was only logical to "make the assumption," Clark
County, Nev., Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said. As evidence, Lombardo pointed
to gunman Stephen Paddocks huge arsenal, explosive materials found in
his car and his meticulous planning. What we know is Stephen Paddock is
a man who spent decades acquiring weapons and ammo and living a secret
life, much of which will never be fully understood, the sheriff said.
FoxVOA VIEW: There is much that has not been
made known.

Las
Vegas Gunman Targeted Aviation Fuel Tanks During Shooting SpreeStephen Paddock, the gunman who killed 58 people and injured more than
500 during Sundays massacre on the Las Vegas Strip, reportedly also took
aim at nearby aviation fuel tanks during the rampage. The Las Vegas Review-Journal,
citing an unnamed source, reported late Wednesday that two holes were found
in one of the two jet fuel tanks near the site of the Route 91 Harvest
concert. One of the bullets penetrated a tank, but did not cause an explosion,
the report said. The report said FBI agents inspected the tanks and considered
the bullets trajectory from where Paddock opened fire on 32nd floor of
the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Fox

Tropical
Depression Sixteen Forecast To Hit U.S. Gulf Coast As Hurricane This WeekendTropical Depression Sixteen will track over Nicaragua and Honduras
today, then target Cancún Friday night, and will then pose a threat
to parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast as a strong tropical storm or a low-end
hurricane this weekend. The center of the tropical depression is about
to move onshore in northeast Nicaragua, moving northwest at 5 to 10 mph.
Infrared satellite imagery indicates the thunderstorms nearest to the center
of T.D. Sixteen are still mainly over the southwest Caribbean Sea, however,
a broad gyre of low pressure called a Central American gyre (more on that
feature below) has spawned numerous clusters of thunderstorms in Central
America. Weather.com

Catalonia
Moves To Declare Independence From Spain On MondayCatalonia will move on Monday to declare independence from Spain after
holding a banned referendum, pushing the European Union nation towards
a rupture that threatens the foundations of its young democracy. Catalan
President Carles Puigdemont said he favoured mediation to find a way out
of the crisis but that Spain's central government had rejected this. Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy's government responded by calling on Catalonia to
"return to the path of law" first before any negotiations. News
Trust

CIA
Official Predicts North Korean Provocation On Columbus DayA top CIA official for the Korean Peninsula warned Wednesday that the
U.S. should be ready for a new provocation by North Korea on Columbus Day
on Oct. 9, which coincides with the anniversary of the founding of the
political party that governs in Pyongyang. "Stand by your phones," Yong
Suk Lee, deputy assistant director of the CIA's Korea Mission Center, said
while speaking at a conference organized by the agency at The George Washington
University. US News & World ReportVOA VIEW: NK is going to push once too
many.

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Hurricane
Deployments Stretch US Military ThinThe extended deployment of military cargo jets and Navy ships to help
with Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Irma relief efforts is causing military
planners to scramble and recalculate future deployments all the way from
Afghanistan to the Korean Peninsula, according to several defense officials
familiar with the current discussions underway inside the Defense Department.
CNN

Bob
Corker Just Told The World What He Really Thinks Of Donald TrumpTennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker suggested Wednesday that Gens.
John Kelly and James Mattis as well Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are
the "people that help separate our country from chaos," a stinging criticism
of President Donald Trump from a man once considered an ally in Washington.
Asked directly by a reporter whether he was referring to Trump in using
the word "chaos," Corker, who announced last month he would retire in 2018,
responded: CNNVOA VIEW: CNN like to report anyting negative
on Trump.

Trump
Begins Repeal Of Obama Power Plant Emission CutsThe Trump administration will propose repealing former President Barack
Obamas signature plan for combating climate change by asserting that its
expansive approach to addressing carbon emissions exceeds legal limits,
according to a person familiar with the deliberations. Bloomberg

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Democrats
Seek Ban On Devices That Boost Gun Rate Of FireDays after a dozen modified rapid-fire guns were found in the Las Vegas
gunman's hotel room, Democrats introduced a bill on Wednesday to ban such
changes to weapons  and dared Republicans to ignore it. Sen. Dianne Feinstein
of California, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said
her legislation would bar the sale, manufacture and possession of so-called
bump stocks and other devices  all currently legal  that drastically
increase a firearms rate of fire. " NBC

Federal
Debt Increases For 60th Straight Fiscal YearThe total federal debt climbed by $671,455,302,116.72 in fiscal 2017,
making 2017 the 60th straight fiscal year in which the federal debt has
increased, according to the official numbers published by the U.S. Treasury.
At the end of fiscal 2016, the federal debt stood at $19,573,444,713,936.79.
By the end of fiscal 2017 (which closed on Sept. 30), it was $20,244,900,016,053,51.
The last fiscal year in which the federal debt declined was fiscal 1957.
In that year, according to the Treasury, the total federal debt dropped
from $272,750,813,649.32 at the close of fiscal 1956 to $270,527,171,896.43
at the close of fiscal 1957. But, in fiscal 1958, the debt climbed to $276,343,217,745.81and
in every fiscal since then, it has finished each fiscal year higher than
it started that fiscal year. CNS NewsVOA VIEW: Thanks to Obama.

A
Fog Lifts At The Air Force AcademyNearby exhibits highlighted the diversity of the cadets as well as
their common pursuit of excellence. While they came from different regions
and ethnic groups, most had won athletic letters in high school and academic
honors. But the cadet chapel was far more interesting than the visitor
center. It stands as the moral and architectural punctuation point of the
academy. Most of the buildings at the Air Force Academy are not merely
uninteresting, they are aggressively boring  plain, rectangular blocks
of concrete, metal and glass. CNS News

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Trump
Praises Bravery Of First RespondersPresident Trump, visiting Las Vegas in the wake of the country's deadliest
mass shooting, lauded the heroic first responders for their bravery,
thanked the nurses and doctors for their incredible efforts and consoled
survivors by telling them were there for you. Words cannot the describe
the bravery that the whole world witnessed on Sunday night," the president
said Wednesday, during a brief speech at the Las Vegas Police Department
Command Center. Fox

Judge
Dismisses Case Against Pardoned ArpaioA federal judge in Phoenix Wednesday formally dismissed the criminal
case against former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, accepting President
Donald Trump's pardon of the controversial lawman. U.S. District Judge
Susan Bolton dismissed Arpaio's conviction with prejudice, meaning the
matter cannot be tried again. Bolton held off on ruling on Arpaio's request
to throw out all orders in the case, including a blistering 14-page ruling
in which the judge explained her original reasoning in finding that Arpaio
was guilty of a crime. Fox

Tillersons
News Conference Only Highlights Strains With TrumpLong-simmering tension within President Trumps national security team
spilled into public view on Wednesday as Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson
took the extraordinary step of calling a news conference to affirm his
support for Mr. Trump, despite what associates describe as his deep frustration
with the president and talk of resignation. Mr. Tillerson praised Mr. Trump
but did not deny a report that he once referred to the president as a moron.
Mr. Trump welcomed Mr. Tillersons statement of support and declared total
confidence in his secretary of state. NY TimesVOA VIEW: This article itself shows the
liberal bias and the NYT lack of credibility.

3
US Troops Killed In Ambush In NigerThree members of the US Special Operations Forces were killed and two
others were wounded in southwest Niger near the Mali-Niger border when
a joint US-Nigerien patrol was attacked Wednesday, two administration officials
told CNN. The administration officials added that the two wounded US troops
had been evacuated to the capital, Niamey, and would soon be moved to Germany.
They were described by the officials as being in a "stable condition."
The US troops were part of a team advising and assisting local forces when
they were attacked. CNN

Saudi
King, Putin To Talk Oil Pact On 'Epochal' Russia VisitSaudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz is making an historic first visit to
Russia by a monarch of the Gulf kingdom as he and President Vladimir Putin
seek an understanding on whether to extend an agreement curbing oil supplies.
King Salman is due to meet with Putin on Thursday after he arrived for
the four-day official visit late Wednesday. His journey to Moscow, ahead
of planned talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington early next
year, underscores a shift in strategic direction by Saudi Arabia as Russian
influence in the Middle East expands following Putins military intervention
in Syria. Bloomberg

GOP
Rep. Tim Murphy Announces Plan To Retire At End Of TermRep. Tim Murphy, R-Pennsylvania, who has been caught up in an affair
scandal, announced Wednesday that he plans to retire at end of his current
term. "After discussions with my family and staff, I have come to the decision
that I will not seek reelection to Congress at the end of my current term,"
Murphy said in a statement to CBS Pittsburgh, adding that he would spend
his remaining time in Congress concentrating on his "work as the national
leader on mental health care reform." CBS News

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Trump
Las Vegas VisitPresident Trump visited Las Vegas Wednesday, days after the deadliest
mass shooting in U.S. history and a day after his visit to Puerto Rico
see the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria. "We cannot be defined by
the evil that threatens us," Mr. Trump said at his final stop after being
introduced by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. "We're defined by our love, our
caring and our courage." Mr. Trump said that when the worst of humanity
strikes, "the best of humanity responds" and referenced parents and spouses
using their bodies to shield and protect their lonsole some of the victims
of the massacre, and also paid a visit to first responders, whose actions
prevented even more casualties. CBS News

After
Las Vegas Shooting, Trump Says America A Nation In MourningPresident Donald Trump met Wednesday with surviving victims of the
Las Vegas shooting at University Medical Center in the city and hailed
their heroism for trying to save others even as their own lives were in
danger. Trump also credited the bravery of law enforcement members and
honored the professionalism of doctors and other medical staff for their
response to the massacre. "I have to tell you: it makes you very proud
to be an American when you look at the job that theyve done," he said.
When asked at University Medical Center his message for those impacted
by the shooting, Trump said, "We're with you 100 percent," adding that
he had invited some victims to the White House. NBC
News

Angry
GOP Donors Close Their WalletsRepublicans are confronting a growing revolt from their top donors,
who are cutting off the party in protest over its inability to get anything
done. Tensions reached a boiling point at a recent dinner at the home of
Los Angeles billionaire Robert Day. In full view of around two dozen guests,
Thomas Wachtell, a retired oil and gas investor and party contributor,
delivered an urgent message to the nights headliner, Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell: Just do something. POLITICOVOA VIEW: The Party is not doing well.

Warren
Buffett Says This One Investment 'Supersedes All Others'Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says the very best investment you
can make is one that "you can't beat," can't be taxed and not even inflation
can take away from you. "Ultimately, there's one investment that supersedes
all others: Invest in yourself," Buffett says in a recent interview with
Forbes. "Nobody can take away what you've got in yourself, and everybody
has potential they haven't used yet." One of Buffett's investments in himself
came in early adulthood, when he signed up for a $100 Dale Carnegie public
speaking course that he says changed his life. CNBC

Baltimore
Woman Dragged Off Southwest Flight Speaks OutThe woman who was dragged off a southwest flight at BWI last week said
she was the victim of sexism, racial profiling and police brutality, thats
according to a statement from her attorney. Anila Daulatzai, a professor
at the Maryland Institute College of Art, was on a plane headed to Los
Angeles when she was forcefully removed. The airline said it was because
Daulatzai claimed to have a life-threatening allergy to animals and demanded
that two dogs on board be removed from the flight. ABC
News

'Trump
Dossier' On Russia Links Now Part Of Special Counsel's ProbeThe special counsel investigating whether Russia tried to sway the
2016 U.S. election has taken over FBI inquiries into a former British spys
dossier of allegations of Russian financial and personal links to President
Donald Trumps campaign and associates, sources familiar with the inquiry
told Reuters. A report compiled by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele
identified Russian businessmen and others whom U.S. intelligence analysts
have concluded are Russian intelligence officers or working on behalf of
the Russian government. Reuters

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U.S.
Budget Deficit Could Obstruct Trump's Tax Cut PlanThe U.S. budget deficit is proving to be a major obstacle to the tax
reform plan being offered by President Donald Trump and top congressional
Republicans, with one leading Senate hawk saying a week after the plan
was introduced that any enlarging of the fiscal gap could kill his support.
From proposed infrastructure enhancements to a military build-up, the deficit
long ago put the brakes on major new federal spending programs; now Trumps
tax-cut proposal is threatened. It looks to me like the administrations
already running for the hills. Reuters

U.S.
Interests At Risk In Arab Allies Bitter FeudTheres an Arabic proverb popular in these parts: The best answer
will come from the person who is not angry. Unfortunately, the anger is
long and deep in the nasty row dividing some of Americas closest allies
in the Middle East, which means any quick answer to the Trump administrations
diplomatic and security headache is hard to see from here. Nearly four
months ago, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates banded
together to impose an economic and diplomatic blockade against Qatar, the
tiny but wealthy country that hosts Washingtons most strategic military
base in the Persian Gulf, over what they claim is its willingness to work
with Shiite Iran and its suspected support for jihadi groups such as Hamas
and the Muslim Brotherhood. Washington Times

3
Russians Named In Trump Dossier Sue Fusion GPS For LibelThree Russian investors are suing private investigation firm Fusion
GPS and its founder Glenn Simpson for libel over the handling of an intelligence
dossier containing salacious allegations against President Donald Trump.
Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven and German Khan filed suit Tuesday in U.S. District
Court in Washington, claiming that their reputations were unfairly tattered
by the so-called dossier  a largely unsubstantiated document that has
taken on a larger-than-life role in several investigations into alleged
collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. POLITICOVOA VIEW: Good!

NRA
Silent After Las Vegas Shooting But GOP On Notice Over Gun LawsThe National Rifle Association has gone dark, but other gun-rights
groups say they're keeping close tabs on Republicans to make sure that
any new legislation doesn't see the light of day after the shooting massacre
in Las Vegas. "Given the spinelessness of so many of the Republican caucus,
the best thing would be to get the leadership not to let it come up," Larry
Pratt, co-founder and executive director emeritus of the Gun Owners of
America, said in an interview with NBC. "If it comes to a vote, they are
going to be held accountable." NBC News

Five
Living Former Presidents To Headline Hurricane Relief ConcertFive older gentlemen will headline a benefit concert for victims of
this year's brutal hurricane season at the end of the month  and it's
not the Rolling Stones or Journey. Former Presidents Barack Obama, George
W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush and Jimmy Carter will be the headliners
at a special concert Oct. 21 at Texas A&M's Reed Arena in College Station,
which will raise money for hurricane relief efforts. NBC
News

Rex
Tillerson Affirms Loyalty To Trump, Says He Never Considered Leaving
State PostSecretary of State Rex Tillerson denied reports Wednesday that Vice
President Mike Pence had to convince him to stay on in the administration.
Theres never been a consideration in my mind to leave, Mr. Tillerson
said at a press conference, adding that he has had to dispel this notion
several times. He also said Mr. Pence has never had to persuade him to
stay on as secretary of state, as had been reported by NBC News. Mr. Tillerson
declined to address whether he referred to the president as a moron,
as reported by NBC. Washington Times

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White
House Walks Back Trump's Puerto Rico Comments As Wall Street ReelsOn Tuesday night, President Donald Trump casually told Geraldo Rivera
on Fox News that the United States would have to wipe out $75 billion in
debt owed by Puerto Rico to bondholders around the world. Wall Street promptly
freaked out, sending Puerto Rican bonds into a tailspin and leading the
White House to move swiftly to clean up Trump's seemingly offhand remarks.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration indicated it has no current plans
to take the unprecedented, politically dangerous and probably illegal step
of wiping out the owners of Puerto Rico's bonds in the wake of Hurricane
Maria's devastation. Trumps own budget chief quickly walked the presidents
comments back. POLITICO

Chemist
Says VX Traces Found On Both Suspects In Kim MurderA government chemist testified Thursday he found traces of the banned
VX nerve agent on two women being tried in Malaysia on charges of murdering
the estranged half brother of North Koreas leader. The testimony was the
first evidence linking VX to Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong
of Vietnam, who are accused of smearing the nerve agent on Kim Jong Nams
face in a brazen assassination inside a crowded airport terminal in Kuala
Lumpur on Feb. 13. Raja Subramaniam, who heads the governments Center
of Chemical Weapon Analysis, said he found VX in its pure form and VX precursors
on Huongs white jumper and found a degraded product of VX on Huongs fingernails.
The
Washington Post

Gun
Shop Manager Who Sold Firearms To Stephen Paddock Speaks OutGuns & Guitars general manager Christopher Sullivan told CBS News
he sold Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock a rifle on Sept. 28, the same
day police say Paddock checked into the Mandalay Bay hotel. "I was ill.
It made me physically ill to think that we had interacted with him and
he had committed such a tragedy," Sullivan said. "Feel any guilt about
what happened?" CBS News correspondent DeMarco Morgan asked. "I don't.
No," Sullivan said. "We do everything right. ... We can't control what
someone does once they leave this store." Sullivan said Paddock had been
a customer of Guns & Guitars for about a year, and in that time the
shop sold him five firearms. CBS News

Thousands
Of Dreamers Could Lose Protection As DACA Deadline ArrivesSome 48,000 eligible unauthorized immigrants have yet to renew their
immigration status as a part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
(DACA) program, despite this week's Oct. 5 deadline to renew. Of the 154,200
individuals whose DACA status is set to expire between Sept. 5, 2017, and
March 5, 2018, just over 106,000 either have renewal requests currently
pending with the federal immigration agency or have already had their renewal
requests adjudicated, according to the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS), which manages the program. ABC News

State
Department Denies Tillerson Called Trump A 'Moron'A State Department spokesperson denied that Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson ever called President Donald Trump a "moron" as reported earlier
today. "The secretary does not use that type of language. The secretary
did not use that type of language to speak about the president of the United
States. He does not use that language to speak about anyone ... he did
not say that," spokesperson Heather Nauert said this afternoon. Tillerson
today reaffirmed his support for Trump, and said he never thought about
stepping down from his post. But he would not answer if he ever used the
word "moron" to describe Trump. ABC NewsVOA VIEW: The liberal media fake news.

U.S.
Condemns Arrest Of Istanbul Consulate WorkerA U.S. consulate employee in Istanbul was arrested on charges of links
to a cleric blamed for last years failed coup, Turkish media said on Thursday,
in a move condemned by Washington as baseless and damaging to ties between
the NATO allies. The U.S. embassy in Ankara said it was deeply disturbed
by the arrest of the locally employed staff member and said it appeared
that leaked information from Turkish government sources aimed at trying
him in the media rather than a court of law. Reuters

Energy
Secretary Took Charter Flight Day Before Price ResignedU.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry took a chartered jet to Ohio last
week, according to an airport management company, the day before fellow
Cabinet member Tom Price resigned over his use of private charter flights
for government business. Perry took the private plane from Hazleton Regional
Airport in Pennsylvania to the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport in southern
Ohio on Sept. 28, PMH Aviation, the company that runs the Portsmouth airport,
said on Wednesday. The purpose of his trip was to visit a uranium facility
in Piketon, Ohio, according to the Energy Department. Reuters

UN
Chief Urges World To Implement Paris Climate Accord 'With Greater Ambition'Pointing to scientific evidence warning of increased extreme weather
events, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, ahead
of a trip to the storm-ravaged Caribbean, urged all countries to implement
the Paris Agreement on climate change with greater ambition. We know
that the world has the tools, the technologies and the wealth to address
climate change, but we must show more determination in moving towards a
green, clean, sustainable energy future, Mr. Guterres said at a press
encounter at the UN Headquarters, in New York. Today and every day, I
am determined to ensure that the United Nations works to protect our common
future and to seize the opportunities of climate action, he affirmed.
United Nations

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